Weekend notes

Like Franklin Avenue's Mike Schneider, I am fascinated with the Filipino food offerings at the Eagle Rock Mall. But unlike Mike, I don't have a Filipina wife to guide me. So after getting a brutally satisfying chair massage outside Target, I stopped in at the brand-new Goldilocks Bakery and Food Shop to see what was on offer. Goldilocks has a vast array of Filipino baked goods, including large flans and tres leches cakes to go -- good for a party -- and more unusual items like a whole mess of bright purple ube pastries.
Ube is purple yam, but I have a feeling Goldilocks helps out the color a with some purple food coloring in some of those nearly fluorescent sponge cakes and yam danishes. I tried a small cheese tart, which was kind of like a Chinese egg custard tart with the addition of coconut chunks, and a chicken pie with a nicely savory raisin and minced chicken filling. The sparkling clean coffee shop next door is like a Filipino Denny's, with breakfast combos of longaniza sausage and eggs, tofu custard, and eggs benedict made with smoked Filipino bacon.

Silver Lake's Gingergrass is expanding into the gallery space next door, and none too soon, since it's always too crowded for me to go. I also heard Silver Lake Wine was expanding into the back of Rockaway Records, but nothing seems to have happened yet.

If you're looking for a very well-made tuna melt, check out Dave's Chillin' and Grillin' in Eagle Rock next to Swork. Unfortunately Dave has discontinued his snow crab melts, but maybe he'll bring them back. Dave is a very friendly guy from Massachussetts who's doing a great business with other shopowners in the area.
While you're there, stop in at Colorado Wine Company. We were there on a sweltering Saturday, and although it was 100 degrees in Eagle Rock, inside the knowledgable owners were pouring refreshing sangria and sauvignon blanc. Although I'm normally strictly a red drinker, I ended up walking out with a bottle of prosecco and a bottle of French rose to counter the heat.